Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot vs Zed
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Claude Code
4.4Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.
GitHub Copilot
4.0Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
Zed
4.2Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Claude Code scores highest overall, but Zed gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you. | GitHub's AI helper: it finishes your code, reviews pull requests and takes on whole tasks. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Open source |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $10/mo | $10/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | – | No |
| API access | Yes | – | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Trying Claude Code and light daily use. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly Businesses with 2 to 150 people who want central billing. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
Enterprise $20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum Larger companies with compliance needs. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Max From $100/mo Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day. | Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | ||
API (pay as you go) Usage based Teams who want to pay only for what they use. | Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Pro. It is enough to build a small site or tool in evenings and weekends. If you hit the limit most days, Max 5x is the next step; it costs five times as much but usually works out cheaper than paying for the API directly. | Pro is the sweet spot for an individual: cheap, unlimited autocomplete and enough credits for a few agent tasks a week. Only move to Pro+ if you find yourself buying extra credits every month. | Personal. If you have Claude Pro, run Claude Code inside Zed and you are done. Pro only makes sense if you want Zed's built-in assistant and edit predictions without setting up API keys. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Zed |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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